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Original poster

NEVER EVER BUY FROM CSL, ADVICE URGENTLY Please!!!!

28 replies

blackmonday · 19/01/2010 09:48

Myself and DH have saved up really hard to get a new 3 piece suite. We managed to save £600 which is not a lot but with the sales on at the moment thought we might be able to get something. We unfortunately ended up in CSL where they were advertising a sofa + 2 recliners for £599. We asked the salesman who said it would be a 12 week wait to get it in the fabric we wanted. We went home and thought about it and then went on their website. We decided to go for it, so I rang to order it and got put through to a different store. I double checked that the price included the sofa and 2 chairs and was told yes it did. The salesman tried desperately to sell me insurance for the furniture and tbh was more interested in that than my order. I paid in full over the phone and he said he'd send a copy of my order out. When it came it said I'd just bought the sofa, not the chairs. When i phoned to check the store confirmed the price was only for the sofa. I told them what I'd been told and they said the tickets in the store were 'misleading' and it must have been a misunderstanding! I then said I wanted a refund and was told the order was non cancellable and they would only refund 70% of my money!! It didn't matter what I said they were adamant. I telephoned a consumer helpline who basically told me there was nothing i could do as i couldn't prove what the salesman had said to me. They are keeping £180 of my money for giving me wrong advice! anyway we decided as we couldn't do anything we would have to accept the partial refund. That was on 9th January and I am still waiting for it to go into my bank. I've phoned countless times and keep getting told all different things: the refund was done on different days, the systems are down. I just can't get my money back and I feel so powerless. It has taken us ages to get that money together and I don't know which way to turn. I've tried speaking to the manager who was just as unhelpful as everyone else. Who can help consumers when they are treated so badly??? any advice please as this whole situation is really getting to me

OP posts:
Original poster
blackmonday · 19/01/2010 10:10

Just spoken to store again and all the notes that had been put on my account detailing the situation have been removed. I feel like phoning the police....they have my money and will not give it back

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HollyGoHeavily · 19/01/2010 10:17

That is outrageous!

Contact the Citizens Advice Bureau CAB and they should be able to give you some help.

I hope you get it sorted

Buda · 19/01/2010 10:18

Go into the store with a camera and take photos of the suite WITH the offer visible. (Do it discreetly!) You could also ask a friend to go and pretend to be interested in same offer and see what they are told.

Then write to the head office if they have one with a copy of the photo and tell them that if you don't receive a FULL refund within 7 days you will be going to a solicitor and the press.

lucykate · 19/01/2010 10:20

sounds like there may have been crossed wires on this, is it possible that the sales person, when referring to a sofa with 2 recliners, was meaning a sofa with 2 seats on it that recline, rather than a sofa with 2 armchairs that recline?

what about trying your local cab?, they might be able to advise what to do.

Katisha · 19/01/2010 10:21

Don't resort to subterfuge - get straight on to CAB.

lucykate · 19/01/2010 10:21

i like buda's idea, yes, you need to collect as much evidence as you can.

Buda · 19/01/2010 10:30

Actually I have had a quick look at the website and lucykate may be right - are you sure it was a sofa and 2 reclining chairs? Judging by the prices it may well have been one sofa that has 2 reclining bits.

Original poster
blackmonday · 19/01/2010 10:35

that is what they are saying lucykate, but i asked the guy if it came with 2 seperate chairs and he confirmed that it did. He even asked me if i would be keeping the furniture in the sunlight and I said one of the chairs would be in the window! i double checked as the offer did seem very cheap, but i just assumed it was an end of line range. I have been told that i can't do anything as i have no proof of the conversation. Can't get through to CAB but will keep trying. It was Office of Fair Trading who basically told me there was nothing legally I could do except maybe try through the small claims court but i probably wouldn't get anywhere. Gutted I ever gave them my money

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Original poster
blackmonday · 19/01/2010 10:36

They have even admitted it was misleading advertising and put a note on my file to confirm this, but all notes have now been wiped off!

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Buda · 19/01/2010 11:12

Is the sofa you ordered on the website?

What price is it now and what does it include?

lucykate · 19/01/2010 11:22

fwiw, dfs were the same with us, bit vague about the actual sale of the suite, but very keen to sell us all the additional cleaning kit, accidental damage cover etc!

my advice is always take up their offer of interest free credit, even if you have the money in hand to pay it off. that way, you can hold off till it arrives, make sure everything is as it should be before paying anything, keeps your money in your hands, and not theirs.

Katisha · 19/01/2010 11:32

THere must be a way she can get a full refund though, surely?

Original poster
blackmonday · 19/01/2010 11:33

the sofa is still on the website but the website is slightly different to how it was when I ordered. It is the Veyron for £599 with 2 recliners. Obviously I now know the recliners they are referring to are on the sofa and not seperately. Yes, it was obviously a misunderstanding but I did check before ordering. As soon as I received a copy of the order and realised I called straight away to cancel. Why then should they keep £180 of my money for something they admit was misleading? It is not as if I waited until the sofa arrived to query. The order hadn't even been processed when I noticed the mistake. I was definately misled by the salesman, but feel stupid for not realising myself

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Lilyloo · 19/01/2010 11:41

Are they refusing refund as they are making it specifically for you ?
I agree 'a sofa with 2 recliners' is misleading!
Have you contacted CAB ?

Winetimeisfinetime · 19/01/2010 11:42

If you paid by credit card, check whether you have any recourse via the credit card company.

lucykate · 19/01/2010 11:44

it's not your fault, you are the customer. i think it's really poor of them, given they have admitted their advertising was confusing, to not offer a full refund under the circumstances. i bet the sales person who dealt with you has been well ticked off by the store manager. am not sure what you can do about it though, cab will be able to talk you through small claims court procedure, sounds scary but you may be entitled to legal aid to fund it.

chopstheduck · 19/01/2010 11:47

A sofa with two recliners is one sofa. I think its an awful mix up, but I dont think you are really going to get anywhere with it. Especially with no evidence that they did include two chairs.

I'd go ahead and buy the sofa personally, rather than lose out on £180. You can always save for a second, and have mismatched for a while.

lucykate · 19/01/2010 11:56

do you like the sofa enough to just go ahead with the purchase?, £599 is still quite cheap for a good sofa with reclining seats.

i did a search on the moneysavingsexpert site for 'csl', there maybe something in the forum there which might help.

other place to try is your local trading standards office.

Original poster
blackmonday · 19/01/2010 12:42

thanks for all your help. We really needed to get the whole lot for £599 as we also need carpet, furniture etc. 12 weeks was a long time to wait but in order to get the rest we'd have to save up again for the other chairs and place them on order and wait another 12-15 weeks once we'd saved! I think i was so angry with them i just didn't want them to have any of my money for any longer! will keep trying CAB. I paid by my debit card so won't have any protection there unfortunately. The fact that I've accepted the 70% refund but still don't have that back makes it even worse. They really are the most appalling company I have ever dealt with!

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chopstheduck · 19/01/2010 14:20

Most places let you put a deposit down then pay the rest off prior to delivery. Might be worth considering when you look for a replacement. We ordered some with furniture vilalge before xmas, paid the deposit then had 16 weeks to save up the rest.

alypaly · 19/01/2010 14:27

phone your town hall and find out the office of fair tradings phone number. Give them all the info,names,dates etc and CSL's admission of misleading info. They will deal with it for you and initially they will give you you advice

wubblybubbly · 19/01/2010 14:27

What bloody robbers!

BlackMonday, how quickly after the order was placed did you call to cancel? According to consumerline, you have a cooling off period of 7 days, under the Distance Selling rule, I've just copied and pasted from their website:

"Selling by telephone is not against the law and if you agree to buy something over the phone, you have probably entered into a legally binding contract.

You have the same rights with goods bought over the phone as you have with goods bought in a shop. They must be of satisfactory quality (see General Advice), fit for any specified purpose and as described. You also have rights under the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000, the main one being that you have a cooling off period of 7 working days."

So if you called to cancel the order as soon as you got the confirmatin through, surely you should be entitled to cancel and receive a full refund by law?

Original poster
blackmonday · 19/01/2010 15:36

wubblybubbly, thanks for that, unfortunately office of fair trading state that i do not qualify for distance selling as i actually saw the furniture in a store prior to ordering. i think i'm stuffed but will pursue if i can

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FimBOW · 19/01/2010 15:50

Certified by the British Standards institute ( BSI ) now for over 10 years, CSL has quality procedures for all aspects of our service. This ensures that our customers are protected from inconsistent service and quality to the best possible degree. We are proud to say that we care about the quality of everything that you receive.

I wonder if BSI will help?

Flightattendant · 19/01/2010 16:01

If you saw the thing in a shop but ordered it online or by phone, they can't prove you saw it can they?

they sound like utter nobbers